Brexit played a role in the chaos seen at the Port of Dover over the weekend, the government has conceded.

Downing Street has joined a number of key government figures in admitting that "new processes" at the border were among the reasons for lengthy delays for ferries.

The Port of Dover was forced to declare a critical incident over the weekend as queues of over 14 hours backed up in the town.

Among those stranded during the chaos were schoolchildren who were reportedly left without food for more than five hours.

It came amid a raised volume of coaches making the crossing amid the Easter holiday rush, with some 400 extra coaches expected to arrive on Saturday.

Extra night-time crossings had to be added in an attempt to reduce wait times, but delays continued for much of the weekend.

In the aftermath of the incident, Suella Braverman insisted that the delays should not be blamed on the UK's exit from the EU.

The Home Secretary also downplayed any fears that delays at Dover could become a regular occurrence that risks ruining school holiday plans.

However, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman admitted that "new processes" were resulting in the need for the flow of traffic to be improved.

He added a "combination of factors" were to blame for delays - including poor weather and the high volume of traffic.

Asked whether Brexit was one of the factors, the spokesman noted French officials now manually inspected and stamped every passport as passengers left the UK, which required time.

The spokesman said: "We recognise there are new processes in place - that's why authorities were given a long time to prepare for the new checks, including during the transition period, of course. And we are in discussion with our French counterparts about how we can further improve the flow of traffic."

This came hours after one of the Tory party's most hard-line Brexiteers, Lord Frost, admitted that the process of leaving the EU had lead to the delays.

Lord Frost, who was Boris Johnson's chief Brexit negotiator, stressed the need to be “honest” about the situation.

"Since Brexit the [border] processes have got a bit more laborious because the EU treats us as a third country," he tweeted.

"This will sometimes cause delays. It's true the EU doesn't *have* to do this, and we don't treat EU citizens like that, but it's their right to."

He also said that checks in both directions should be reduced, and if not that the government must install "sufficient infrastructure at the borders to manage capacity, *especially* at peak times."

"They need to get on with it and make sure the right technology and border officer numbers are in place..."

However, some conservative hardliners have disagreed with the government's concession, with Dover MP Natalie Elphicke arguing that there have been issues at the docks since "well before Brexit".

"For many years problems have been caused by weather, strikes, peak holiday periods – and French border controls," she said.

"This is not about Brexit. Well before Brexit, in 2016, 250,000 people were stuck in days of tailbacks due to French border checks. In 2015 it was French strikes.

"Long-term investment in roads and lorry / coach parking is needed to sort things out. Last month the UK and French transport ministers agreed they would work together.

"They need to get on with it and make sure the right technology and border officer numbers are in place. Work on improvements needs to start now if we are to avoid yet more chaos during the Summer getaway."